Shepard Fairey's red, white and black mural painted near the old Corvette Diner spot in the heart of Hillcrest was defaced last week.

Graffiti or Art?

The mural, which was painted in mid-July as part of the the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Viva la Revolucion: A Dialogue With the Urban Landscape show, was splattered with blue paint over large areas. The artwork is part of a $250,000 exhibit by the museum of contemporary art involving 20 artists from all over the world.

"It is extremely disappointing to see this project defaced, but it is also a reminder of the emotions that public art can engender," Pedro Alonzo, Viva La Revolucion's curator, told the voiceofsandiego.org. "Even though some may take issue with certain artistic expression, it is discouraging that they resort to vandalism to voice dissent."

Hillcrest 'Street Art' Mural Gets Tagged

Fairey told the San Diego Union-Tribune he anticipated just such a reaction.

"The nature of street art is hostile,” Fairey told the paper.

Some art aficionados might recognize Fairey's work from the iconic Barack Obama "Hope" poster of the 2008 presidential campaign.